Brace assembly



Dec. 25, 1962 c. w. PETERSEN 3,070,194

BRACE ASSEMBLY Original Filed Jan. 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.CLIF FORD W PETERSEN &

ATTORNEY Dec. 25, 1962 c. w. PETERSEN 3,0

BRACE ASSEMBLY Original Filed Janl 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

cu F FOR D w PETERSEN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,070,194 BRACEASSEMBLY Clifiord W. Petersen, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Mc-Graw-Edison Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Originalapplication Jan. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 708,620, now Patent No. 2,980,214,dated Apr. 18, 1961. Divided and this application May 23, 1960, Ser. No.37,015

Claims. (Cl. 18933) This invention relates to an assembly includingbracing means and, more particularly, to an assembly of support means,bracing means and the hardware for attaching the components to avertically disposed pole and the like. This application is a division ofan application entitled Brace Assembly, which was filed on January 13,1958, and which issued on April 18, 1961, into Patent No. 2,980,214.

In the electrical industry, it has been common heretofore to usecrossbraces and cnossarrns which are made of clear sections of wood suchas Douglas fir, which has the requisite electrical and structuralcharacteristics for supporting various electrical equipment in anelevated position on a vertically extending pole. It has becomeincreasingly difficult in recent years to obtain clear sections ofDouglas fir which maintain a standardization of characteristics desiredfor large scale use by utilities and the like.

It is an object of this invention to provide an assembly of laminatedpieces of material having the requisite dielectric and mechanicalstrength when in a laminated bonded form for replacement of theheretofore used crossarms and crossarm bracing structures.

It is another object of this invention to provide a more compact bracein that the requisite electrical and mechanical strength can be obtainedwith smaller dimension components.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an assemblycomprising a vertically extending member, a horizontally extendingmember and a crossbrace member, any or all parts of which may be made ofa plurality of preformed laminated strips of material and which may bemounted to the vertical member by suitable hardware.

Another object of this invention is to provide structure asaforementioned which prevents the windmilling of crossarms, is easy tomaintain at standard electrical and mechanical characteristics, islighter and stronger than material used heretofore, is well adapted tomass manufacturing techniques, is easy to warehouse, ship, inventory andstore, is corrosion resistant, weather resistant and is otherwise welladapted for the purposes for which it was designed.

The novel features that are characteristic of the invention are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itselfboth as to its organization and the advantages thereof will best beunderstood by the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an assembly includinga novel laminated crossbrace for supporting a crossarm on a pole;

FIG. 2 is a view of an alternative embodiment similar to FIG. 1, all ofthe non-metallic support components being of laminated structure;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective sectional view along lines33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective sectional view through theapex of the V-shaped crossbrace shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of an alternative form ofcrossbrace and support member made of ice laminated materials inaccordance with the inventive concept;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the novel pieces ofhardware associated with the assembly;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another novel piece of hardwareassociated with the assembly; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 6 of an alternative form ofhardware.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a vertical extending membersuch as a pole 10 having a generally transverse member or crossarm 11which is mounted to the pole 10 intermediate its ends by a through bolt12. A generally V-shaped laminated angle brace 13 is preformed with arounded apex 14 and extending arms 15 and 16, the free ends of the arms15 and 16 bent outwardly at 17 and 18 for engagement with the under sideof the crossarm 11. The laminate structure per se shall be describedhereinafter. The free ends 17 and 18 of the laminate 13 may be fixedlymounted to crossarm 11 by a through bolt 22, there being a metal orhardware member 21 surrounding the end sections 17 and 18 to preventtearing of the latter and which will be more fully describedhereinafter.

The apex of the V-shaped mounting member is fixedly r mounted to thepole 10 by a through bolt 20 which extends through a suitable crossbore25 to fixedly mount the laminate crossbrace 13 relative to the pole. Thecrossbrace 13 prevents windmilling of the crossarm 11, steadies same andincreases the amount of load that may be placed thereon. A slotted orapertured channel shaped member 19 which will be described more fullyhereinafter is adapted to surround the apex 14 in the neighborhood ofthe bore 25 to both support the apex and to prevent tearing of thelaminate or laminae in the neighborhood of the bore 25.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is similar to that shown in FIG. 1,except that crossbar 11 is replaced by a laminate structure 27, thelatter being substantially thinner than the crossbar 11 while havingsubstantially the same strength and mechanical characteristics. When thestructure shown in FIG. 2 is used, the hardware items, namely, thethrough bolts 22 and the square shaped hardware members 21 may beeliminated. A bore 26 may be formed in the end portion of 27 formounting insulators or the like directly thereto.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 is an integral angle brace andsupport means sometimes referred to as an alley arm bracket. Thisbracket comprises a vertically extending laminate portion 28 alignedwith and in engagement with the pole 10 and mounted thereto by throughbolts 30 and 29. The vertical portion 28 is integral with and joins thehorizontally extending supporting portion 31, there being an integralcrossbrace 32 which is bonded to and integral with portions 31 and 28 asshown at 33 and 34.

The hardware components, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are preferablymade of galvanized steel or the like. Member 19 may be formed of channelshaped stock, there being a base portion 35 and upward extending freearms 36 and 37. The base 35 and arms 36 and 37 are slotted to form anaperture 38 which extends a substantial distance into the arms 36 and 37to fit over the through bolt 20 when member 19 is assembled as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. The base portion 35 of the channel shaped member 19engages the bottom most portion of the apex 14 of the laminate 13 tosupport same when in the assembled relation shown. Thus, when a load isimpressed .upon crossarms 11 and 27, the bottom of the apex 14 engagesthe base 35 so that the thrust against bolt 20 is taken up by the metaledge surrounding aperture 38 to thereby prevent tearing of the laminate13. It is apparent that other hardware constructions may be used whichdo not need a crossbore, yet will supportingly fix the apex relative tothe pole 10.

The alternative embodiment of support member 19 shown in PEG. 8 of thedrawings is adapted to be used where the V-shaped angle brace laminate13 is a sharper V than that shown in the drawings. Thus, the basesection 35 is divided into two wings, the wing 39 being offset relativeto the other wing to provide a more intimate supporting engagement withan apex 14 of a sharper V- shaped brace.

The large perspective view of FIG. 7 shows the method of construction ofthis hardware item 21, namely, a strap-like member formed and welded asshown and having a crossbore 49 which extends through the upper andlower surfaces thereof. When the through bolt 22 is inserted in aperture49, the entire member is placed in compression. It is apparent that thismember may be made out of extruded stock rather than the weldedconstruction shown.

Returning now to the laminate 13 and the individual laminae 23 and 24per se, the laminae 23 and 24 each may be composed of, for example, afiber glass strip, a plurality of which are placed in stacked relationand are bonded together by a suitable resin. The laminae also may becomposed of clear strips of Douglas fir which are stacked, flexed todesired shape and bonded under heat and pressure. Because of the stackedbonded plurality of strips making a unitary structure, individualdefects found in a single strip will not seriously deleteriously aifectthe over-all structure and, thus, a lower grade of wood may be used.

The preformed arch-like relationship of the individual laminae to makethe brace 13 illustrated makes a laminate angle brace havingconsiderable more strength than the wood crossarm braces of similar sizewhile maintaining the desired electrical properties of a larger brace.Also, the construction shown lends itself to easy modification inmanufacturing process to any span and drop desired. It is also apparentthat the bracing structures shown may be used with or without thehardware components and in either event all components may be easilystacked and warehoused.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it is with full awareness that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In combination, a vertically extending member, and a unitary crossbrace and support member comprising a stack of lamina preformed andbonded into a laminate having first, second and third contiguousportions, said first portion being disposed adjacent to and mounted inalignment with said vertically extending member, said second portionbeing contiguously joined with said first portion and extended in agenerally transverse direction from said vertically extending member,and said third portion being contiguous to and having end portions incontiguous joinder with said first and second portions, respectively,the juncture of said end portions to said first and second portionsrespectively being spaced from the juncture of said first and secondportions.

2. A supporting assembly of the type adapted for elevated use with anelongate vertical structure, said assembly comprising first, second andthird portions, said first portion adapted to be aifixed to and disposedin alignment with said vertical structure and comprising a plurality ofstacked preformed laminae, said second portion adapted to extend in agenerally transverse direction from said vertical structure andcomprising a plurality of preformed stacked laminae, at least one butnot all laminae of said second portion constituting at least one laminaof said first portion, said third portion comprising a plurality ofstacked laminae disposed between said first and second portions, thelaminae of said third portion constituting at least some of the laminaeof second portion.

3. A generally L-shaped bracket for supporting electrical equipment atelevated locations, said bracket comprising first, second and thirdportions, said portions being composed of a plurality of stackedlaminae, said second portion extending in a generally transversedirection from said first portion, certain of the laminae comprisingsaid second portion being contiguous with certain of the laminaecomprising said first portion, said third portion extending between saidfirst and second portions, the laminae of said third portion beingcontiguous with certain of the laminae constituting said first andsecond portions.

4. -A unitary bracket of the type utilized to support equipment at anelevated location on a vertical structure, said bracket comprisingsupport means having a portion thereof which is adapted to extend in atransverse direction from said vertical structure and having a secondportion which is adapted to fixed-1y engage said vertical structure,said support means comprising a stack of bonded laminae, and a secondstack of laminae preformed and bonded into a laminate, one portion ofsaid laminate being bonded to said portion adapted to engage saidvertical structure, and another portion of said laminate being bonded tosaid transverse portion of said support means.

5. A unitary supporting bracket of a relatively high dielectric strengthfor supporting electrical equipment at an elevated location on a polemember, said bracket comprising first, second and third portions, saidfirst portion adapted to be afiixed to and in alignment with said polemember and comprising a plurality of bonded laminae, said second portionextending in a transverse direction from said first portion andcomprising a plurality of bonded laminae, at least one but not alllaminae of said second portion constituting a lamina in said firstportion, said third portion extending between said first and secondportions and comprising a plurality of bonded laminae, laminae of saidthird portion constituting laminae of said second portion and beingfixedly attached to laminae of said first portion near one end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

